'Berg victorious in Mideast Regional Opener

Junior left-handed pitcher David Paddock (Westerville, Ohio / North) threw a complete-game four hitter to help the nationally ranked Heidelberg College baseball team’s 10-3 win over Transylvania University in game one of the NCAA Mideast Regional hosted by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind.
 
Heidelberg is the No. 1 seed in the six-team regional and improves to 38-8 on the year. The Berg will continue on in the winners' bracket to face either Calvin College or the host Fightin’ Engineers tomorrow (May 15) at 3:30 p.m. Tranyslvania falls to 31-13 on the year with the setback.
 
The Pioneers took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning with a two-run home run to center field by Ben Young. Paddock settled down and would not allow another run across the plate until the seventh inning. Paddock finished the game allowing four hits and three earned runs. Along the way he struck out eight batters to improve to 6-3 on the year.
 
The turnaround for Heidelberg came in the third inning. Trailing 2-0 Heidelberg plated seven runs off of seven hits and one Pioneer miscue. Starting the inning was a Biagio Boytim (Brunswick, Ohio / Brunswick) single to left field followed by an RBI double down the left field line by Willie Brechun (Clinton, Ohio / Canton Central Catholic). Steve Decker (Maumee, Ohio / Springfield) was hit by a pitch and Jeremy Wentworth (Johnstown, Ohio / St. Charles) loaded the bases with a bunt single. Sending the go-ahead run across the plate along with an extra run was Andrew Buelow (Marysille, Mich. / Marysville). Buelow knocked in two runs with a single to right center field.

Following Buelow's single, Heidelberg plated two more runs, courtesy of a wild pitch and a miscue by Transylvania's catcher. Wentworth scored on a wild pitch, moving Buelow to third and he rounded the bases to score on a throwing error by the catcher. Heidelberg rounded out its scoring in the seventh with a two-run double by Boytim in his second at-bat of the inning. Boytim knocked in Cody James (Belle Center, Ohio / Benjamin Logan), who walked, and Jason Lash (Strongsville, Ohio / Strongsville), who singled.
 
Heidelberg closed out its scoring with three runs in the eighth with two outs. Brechun doubled to left center to score Boytim, who reached on a Transylvania error. Wentworth knocked in the final two Heidelberg runs on a single to center field. Scoring on the play was Decker, who drew a walk, and Brechun.
 
For the game, Heidelberg finished with 12 hits, with three picking up multiple hits. Leading the way was Brechun, going 3-for-4 with three doubles, two RBI and two runs. Wentworth and Boytim backed Brechun with two hits and two RBI apiece. Boytim scored twice, while Wentworth crossed home plate once.
 
Wentworth's bunt single in the third inning marked his 78th hit on the year, which sets a Heidelberg single-season record. He passes Frank Balogh's 2000 mark of 77. Wentworth's run that he scored is his 53rd on the year, which ties the single season record with Balogh (2000) and Jon Hatfield (2003 and 2004). Also inking his way into the single-season record book in the win was Boytim, who finished with five putouts to give him 324 on the year, passing the record of 319 set by Alex Rutter in 2007.